


Can You Hear Me?

by WhoStarLocked



Series: The Daemon, the Soldier and a Stolen Bio-Weapon AU [23]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bedside Vigils, Books, Comfort, Cor Leonis Needs a Hug, Declarations Of Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feelings, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Good Ardyn Izunia, Head Injury, Hospitals, Hurt, Hurt Cor Leonis, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Injury, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Married Couple, Medical Inaccuracies, Mentioned Cid Sophiar, Mentioned Clarus Amicitia, Mentioned Regis Lucis Caelum, Mentioned Weskham Armaugh, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Missions Gone Wrong, Poor Cor Leonis, Protective Ardyn Izunia, Reading Aloud, Starscourge (Final Fantasy XV), True Love, Unconsciousness, Upset Ardyn Izunia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26092996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhoStarLocked/pseuds/WhoStarLocked
Summary: When Cor is left unconscious after a mission gone wrong, Ardyn stays by his side and tells him just how much Cor means to him. If only Cor could hear him...
Relationships: Ardyn Izunia & Cor Leonis, Ardyn Izunia/Cor Leonis
Series: The Daemon, the Soldier and a Stolen Bio-Weapon AU [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1310333
Comments: 10
Kudos: 30





	Can You Hear Me?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheDarkestDandelion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkestDandelion/gifts).



> Hey everyone! 
> 
> This is a gift for TheDarkestDandelion because they're just awesome, really, they deserve it after putting up with a shitty job! So here's your reward for getting through that patch, and I hope your new job is far better (though really it couldn't get worse). I'm not 100% happy with this, but if I work on it any longer it's going to end up being multi-chapters, which it wasn't meant to be! 
> 
> This story fits into the The Daemon, The Solider, and A Stolen Bio-Weapon AU, and I DO have permission from TheDarkestDandelion to post this as a part of the series. I hope my rendition of the characters aren't too far out from the rest of the series.

“What?” Ardyn asked, voice going hoarse. 

The guard had to be wrong, they  _ had  _ to be. His Cor… Ardyn could only stare wordlessly as his thoughts derail at a dizzying speed. A hollow ringing in his ears grew louder, his eyes became unfocused, and the ever-present daemon voices in the back of his mind grew from harsh whispers to an all-out screaming. They wanted blood, they wanted justice, and to protect what they saw as  _ theirs! _ The dreary black walls of the meeting room spun away from him, the voices of his brother and nephew lost in the cacophony of other voices, and he almost missed the poor paling guard as he spoke again.

“The mission went wrong, your Grace, and the Marshal… he’s in hospital. The doctors are still assessing his condition.” 

The guard’s voice wavered as they repeated their report, but Ardyn barely paid him any attention. He brushed past the trembling guard and left the councilroom, ignoring the shouts from Somnus and Regis that echoed down the corridor after him. 

Ardyn still couldn’t believe it. The mission had been simple! A cakewalk, Cor had said. He hadn’t even strayed into Niff territory for fuck’s sake! Heads were going to roll for this, just as soon as he had ensured that his Marshal was going to be as right as rain. It took almost all of his self-restraint to not use his powers and simply teleport to the medical wing of the Citadel, but right now he needed the time it took to walk there simply to try and reign in the raging voices, not that it worked much. 

He stormed into the waiting room, flinging the door open with so much strength that the hinges broke. 

“Where is my husband?!” Ardyn roared at the nearest passing nurse, who flinched away from him, eyes widening in terror. Trembling, the nurse turned and hurried away, calling for a doctor as he went. He could feel the frightened stares of other members of staff and patients on him. It was only when he caught a glance of his reflection that he realised that his face was dripping with scourge, the black viscous liquid trailing down from his eyes slowly beginning to drip from his chin onto his beloved coat. Snarling with anger, his hand curled into a fist.  _ How dare they hurt his Marshal? How dare they?!  _

The yelling voices in his head got louder and louder until the rest of the room was just an indiscernible buzzing, a parody of his own reflection growling back at him, teeth bared and amber eyes glowing. 

“Your Grace?” 

_ Kill them all _ , hissed the voices, still thirsting for vengeance.  _ Bring the darkness! Bring it! Do it now! _

“Your Grace, I’m here to take you to your husband.” 

For a moment, the voices receded, and with a final snarl, Ardyn turned to face the doctor who stood a few metres away from him. He couldn’t keep from baring his teeth, but she didn’t bat an eyelid at him.

“My name is Dr Savis, I’m overseeing Marshal Leonis’ injuries. Come with me, please.” She explained with a bland smile. Ardyn followed her as she turned and led him further into the wing. With every step they took his dread grew. After all these years, he knew full-well that the further away from the doors they kept a patient, the worse their condition was. Fear for Cor made his chest tight, his breath short and his vision tunneled as the ICU came into view ahead. By some miracle, doctor Savis didn’t take him there. She stopped just short of the daunting double doors, and ushered him into a private room. 

In the middle of the room, Cor laid prone on a bed. His face looked ragged and pale in the harsh glare of the lights, and Ardyn felt whatever tenuous control he had on his anger begin to slip. Hands trembling, he turned away from the too-still form of his husband.

“Well?” He ground out through gritted teeth. 

“The Marshal sustained a severe head injury.” Doctor Savis began carefully, offering him a box of tissues. Ardyn took them gratefully and ripped several from the box and began scrubbing the vile scourge from his face. “We have managed to heal his other injuries with an elixir, but he has yet to regain consciousness. We’ve run several scans and tests, and all indications are that he will wake up. We just… don’t know when.” 

Ardyn’s breath stuttered. Completely numb, he stumbled towards Cor and collapsed into the chair left by his bedside. He gingerly picked up Cor’s listless hand and brushed his thumb across Cor’s knuckles. 

“I’m here, my Marshal.” Ardyn whispered, leaning forwards to press a kiss to his hand reverently. 

“I’ll leave you two alone.” The Doctor said quietly, making her way towards the door. “Please keep talking to him, it might help.” 

Ardyn nodded, never taking his eyes off Cor. 

His poor Marshal. Cor’s face was so pale, save for the purple bags under his eyes. Ardyn had to glance at his chest and watch it rise and fall just to convince himself that Cor really was still alive. It wasn’t like Cor at all to be so still, and with his face lax in sleep, he just looked so vulnerable. That was not a word that should apply to his husband. 

“Oh, my darling.” Ardyn crooned, ghosting his lips over Cor’s hand in kisses. He would have pressed a kiss to the Marshal’s brow, but a horribly white bandage was wrapped around his temple securely. “My darling Marshal, I’m here, my sweetheart. You’re home and safe, and now you just need to wake up.” 

Of course, nothing happened. Letting go a small sigh, Ardyn leaned back in his chair, still holding Cor’s hand in his. He wanted to scream and tear down the equipment scattered around the room, he wanted to find the person responsible for doing this to Cor and rip them limb from limb, infect them with the scourge, watch them turn, then hand them over to Somnus to be  _ burnt! _ He wanted to hear their tortured screams as they departed from life, he wanted - 

_ No! _ Ardyn fought against the horrific thoughts whirling in his head. He forced himself to take a deep breath, and then another one, and another, until his hands no longer shook with rage, and his thoughts were more his own than the daemons’. Cor needed him here, Cor needed him to focus! Cor needed him. Cor wouldn’t want him to track down the bastards responsible and go feral on them, no matter how deserved it was. He had to stay, he had to stay and be strong for Cor.  _ Okay, you can do this _ , Ardyn told himself sternly, gulping down more air into his lungs to calm himself.

“You really are a trouble magnet, my dear. Only you could have found a battle with the enemy within the confines of our own Kingdom.” Ardyn chuckled lightly, but it sounded hollow and forced even to his own ears. “Well, I suppose if we cannot converse while you recover from your shenanigans, then I’ll just have to make my own entertainment.” 

He gingerly placed Cor’s hand back on the bed, then shifted the chair so he was nearer to his husband. With another sigh, he settled back into the chair, and in a flash of pink he retrieved a book from his armiger. 

“I hope you like this new-fangled modern literature, my Marshal.” He said casually, flipping the book open to the first page. “If not, I suppose you’ll just have to wake up and tell me.”

He glanced down to his husband, but Cor remained still, eyes closed. Ardyn ignored the horrible pang in his heart and began to read. 

“‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness…’” 

This was going to be a long wait.

* * *

Eight days passed. Ardyn finished his book and began another. It was one of very few books that Cor actually enjoyed. Clarus had stopped by their house to pick it up for him. Both he and Regis had dropped in whenever they could, but unfortunately the ruling of a Kingdom waited for no man. It was just as well, really, because Cor was taking his sweet time waking up. 

Ardyn softly kissed Cor’s lips, taking what comfort he could from their warmth. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and fired off a quick text to Clarus asking for the details of the mission. Perhaps Cor was stuck worrying because he thought he’d lost soldiers. Ardyn hadn’t heard of any casualties, but then again, he had been rather preoccupied with worrying over Cor. 

“You have Regis and Clarus worried sick, my Marshal.” He told Cor with a soft smile as he painstakingly explained that Cor had not woken to his friends. He read Clarus’ response detailing the mission twice before he continued. The last thing he wanted to do was unintentionally lie to his husband. “But, it seems that your mission was mostly a success. No one else had anything worse than bruises, and the intelligence the informant provided has been most useful. In fact, the only problem was you getting yourself hurt, okay? So if you’re sulking about that, just quit it.” 

Unsurprisingly, there was no response to his words. 

Though they never said anything, Ardyn could sense the increased tenseness of the doctors. He watched as their checks became more frequent, as tests were run and re-run, until eventually doctor Savis returned to explain that it was possible that the trauma to Cor’s head was more severe than they had initially anticipated. Terms like  _ brain damage _ and  _ bleeding _ and  _ inflammation _ and  _ operation _ were bandied around, and each one sent a dagger of fear into Ardyn’s heart. 

When he was alone with Cor, he couldn’t hold back his sobs any longer. 

“My Marshal, please wake up!” He stuttered between his tears, gripping onto Cor’s hand tightly. There was no answering squeeze or movement, and Ardyn’s hope took another crushing blow. “I love you, my darling! Wake up for me, please, Cor.”

His pleas fell on deaf ears, and Ardyn buried his head in his arms on the bed next to his side.  _ You didn’t protect _ , harsh voices told him repeatedly.  _ You didn’t protect and now Cor will die! Bring the darkness, the world deserves death for this! Bring the darkness, bring the darkness, bring the darkness bring the darkness!  _

“Please, my darling, I need you.” Ardyn whispered, clinging on to Cor with all his might. 

* * *

Twelve days after Cor was rushed back to the capital after his mission, and doctor Savis was explaining to Ardyn that things might not be so good after all. 

“I’m afraid that his condition is worsening, your Grace.” She said haltingly, watching Ardyn for any kind of reaction. Ardyn couldn’t bring himself to respond, however, he just remained staring at the prone form of his husband, trying to take comfort in the continued rise and fall of his chest. “The tests this time show reduced brain activity… it’s like he’s giving up.” 

He managed to nod, to let the doctor know he was listening, but he could barely focus anymore. She simply had to be mistaken, Cor Leonis did not give up. Not ever! 

“If he doesn’t start showing improvement soon, we may have to consider the eventuality that he has severe brain damage, and could be in a vegetative state.” 

“Get. Out.” Ardyn spat, unable to keep the fury those words invoked out of his tone. Thankfully, the doctor did as she was told without hesitation, and Ardyn abruptly stood and turned away from Cor. He strode over to the side of the room and flung his fist into the wall. His knuckles split open and the plaster cracked in a spider-web underneath his hand, but the pain barely registered in Ardyn’s mind, so he struck the wall again and again. 

The buzzing in his head came back full strength, voices taunting him, calling him a failure, encouraging him to bring about the darkness, and all Ardyn could do was growl and take out his rage on the wall in front of him until he was no longer consumed by his warring emotions. 

The truth was, he was scared. 

He was scared that doctor Savis was right. If Cor didn’t wake up… 

Well, Eos would be in darkness without their Chosen King of Light for a lot longer than anyone could have anticipated. Still seething with anger, he turned back to Cor, leaning down over his husband with a desperate glare. 

“Now you listen to me, Cor Leonis!” He hissed, pointing at Cor’s face, not that his husband could see him. “You do not get to marry me just to roll over and give up and  _ die  _ a mere two years later! Do you understand me? You do  _ not _ get to do this to me!” 

Ardyn paused, biting back a sigh. He collapsed back into the chair, wilting as his anger dissipated. 

“Cor, my darling, you have to fight this. You have to be strong! I need you to prove those arsehole doctors wrong. I know you’re hurting, but I’m hurting too, and I need you, my Marshal. You are my cure, nothing else will help.

“Can you hear me, Cor? Please, let me know. Because if you’re gone… if you’re not in there anymore...if I’ve lost you… frankly, my darling, I don’t think I can stop myself. You say I’m not a monster, you say I’m not just the Adagium and the bringer of darkness, so please,  _ please  _ don’t make me prove you wrong! Come back to me, Cor. You have to come back.” 

His voice wobbled as he spoke to his husband tenderly. He could feel more tears filling his eyes, and he had to stop talking as he momentarily struggled to breathe around the lump in his throat. 

“I’m here, my Marshal. I’m here.” Ardyn said through his tears, clutching Cor’s hand in one of his. He placed the other to Cor’s brow, and gently brushed his fingers through his hair. 

“My darling, I need you to know just how much you mean to me. I know you hate all the sentimental, mushy, emotional talk, but tough. I know I tell you I love you all the time, but it’s so much more than that. It’s so much more. Those words… I don’t know how anyone could ever hope to encompass the sheer volume of these feelings I have for you in just three short words. I could invent an entire language and it wouldn’t be enough. It will never be enough. 

“Maybe you’re still stuck worrying about something, and there’s just some magic words you need to hear so you can wake up, so I’m going to try my best, but you have to fight this fight, my Marshal. For me, for us, because two years is nowhere near long enough with you by my side. I have plans for a whole lifetime, my sweetheart, and even that will be too short for me. So you have to come back, because every day I go without seeing you smile, and making you laugh, and getting to look into your eyes as the sun goes down is a day wasted, and I can’t afford to waste a single second of my time with you. You are my one and only, Cor Leonis.” 

* * *

Ardyn awoke with an awful crick in his back.  _ Serves me right for falling asleep in this shitty chair,  _ he thought to himself as he wandered over to the window in Cor’s hospital room. He drew back the curtains to reveal a drab, grey daybreak. He sighed heavily. 

Sixteen days. 

“Good morning, my Marshal.” Ardyn said, trying to inject some cheerfulness into his tone. It fell flat. He groaned as he stretched out and felt his muscles popping all along his spine. Ah, that felt better. Ardyn returned to Cor’s bedside, leaning down to give his husband a kiss. 

“Now, how about you wake up today, hmm?” Ardyn asked, settling himself carefully on the edge of Cor’s bed. He couldn’t bring himself to sit back in the crappy chair he’s spent the last two weeks basically living in. “It’s a beautiful morning, the sun is shining on our lovely home city.” 

Ardyn kept chattering about the weather, while he waited for Somnus to appear. His brother had taken it upon himself to visit each morning to bring Ardyn updates on Regis, Clarus, and the kingdom in general, and get Ardyn’s insight into some matters without asking Ardyn to leave Cor. He was unbelievably grateful that Somnus was allowing him to stay here, not that he was about to let his brother know that. 

“Any news, brother?” 

Somnus’ question cut off Ardyn’s pointless rambling, and with a sigh and a pang in his heart, he turned to his younger brother and shook his head. 

“No. Nothing since the other day.” Ardyn replied. 

Just three days ago, their hopes had been raised massively when Cor - after Ardyn had whispered ‘I love you’ - had smiled. It had only lasted a second or two, but it had renewed everyone’s belief that the Marshal would regain consciousness. Even doctor Savis had agreed that it was a promising sign. But there had been no more smiles, or twitching fingers, or any other signs of Cor waking up since then, and it was making Ardyn’s heart break. 

“Oh,” Somnus said quietly. He stepped further into the room, watching Cor’s motionless face with an intense gaze. “I’m sure he’ll wake up soon, Ardyn.” 

“He better.” Ardyn chuckled weakly, picking up one of Cor’s hands and squeezing it gently. “I don’t know how much more of that horrible chair I can take.” 

Somnus smiled at the joke, but the atmosphere was still edged with despair. He elected to ignore it, and began to fill in Ardyn on meetings and decisions made the day before. Somnus was certain Ardyn wasn’t paying any attention to his words, despite the way he absently nodded along, but he still kept going, because the other option was silence, and it was soul-crushing. He knew his brother didn’t want sympathy - not from him, anyway - so Somnus kept his mouth shut, but he  _ hated  _ seeing Ardyn like this. He had become listless and mopey, like he’d lost any and all purpose and direction in his life without Cor. But, unable to voice any of his concerns, Somnus eventually left him alone with his prone husband. 

“Well, there. The kingdom is still intact, my darling.” Ardyn said once he’d gone, brushing Cor’s hair back from his forehead. It had grown a fair bit over the last two weeks, and Ardyn secretly loved how much softer it made Cor look. He knew Cor kept his hair short for convenience, but the longer strands falling across his face just made him look so young, and…  _ soft _ , in a way that Cor would probably hate. 

“My darling, I am going to have to ask you to wake up soon. The doctors are starting to think that you’re gone, despite that smile you gave me the other day, and yesterday’s scan said that there’s not much going on in that gorgeous head of yours. But I believe in you, I know you’re in there. You just have to prove it, my Marshal. 

“Do you know what I’d give just to see you open your eyes? Have you any idea just how precious you are to me?” 

* * *

“Sweetheart, listen to me. I mean it, Cor, you really need to listen to me now.” Ardyn’s voice was remarkably calm, considering the maelstrom of emotions he was feeling. “Your brain activity is down to nothing, my Marshal. It’s been like that for a few days now, and the doctors are all in agreement - they think you’re gone. Cor, they’ve given up, and we all know that you’d hate the idea of being left in a bed like this for the rest of your life. They want to -”

Ardyn stopped abruptly with a choked-off sob. Real, non-scourge tears spilled down his cheeks uncontrollably, and he pressed one hand over his mouth to try and keep the sounds he was making in check. 

“My darling,” Ardyn whispered, voice wobbly and breaking. “My darling, they want to let you go. And it’s my choice, sweetheart, but I don’t know what to do! I believe you’re still here, and fighting tooth and claw to come back to me, my Marshal, but I don’t want to make you lie here and suffer if you’re gone. Please, Cor, please give me  _ something _ ! Let me know what I should do!” 

He broke off, unable to quiet his ugly sobs anymore. Ardyn leaned forwards from his seat on the edge of Cor’s bed and, ever so gently, wrapped his arms around his unresponsive husband. Hands shaking, Ardyn cradled Cor’s head and pressed their faces together, kissing Cor fervently. He brushed his tears off Cor’s cheeks, even as fresh ones fell. 

Regis, Clarus, Wesk, Somnus, and even Cid had conceded that this had to be Ardyn’s choice, and he hated it. How the hell is he meant to make an objective decision over his husband’s  _ life?! _

Ardyn hooked his arms underneath Cor’s, wrapping around him and gently lifting Cor’s body up into a hug. He supported Cor’s neck with one hand and pressed his head into Cor’s shoulder. Ardyn’s whole body wracked with his cries as he held Cor close. 

This was so unfair! 

“My Marshal, please! I don’t want to have to make this choice! I love you! I love you, come back. Please,”

Ardyn’s voice cracked in tandem with his heart. “Remember what I told you? I have plans for a lifetime, Cor. Please don’t rob me of that! You can’t! There’s so much more I have to do with you, and tell you, and I can’t go on in this world if you’re not by my side. Bahamut be damned, I will find a way to end my life if you’ve left me! 

“Without you Cor, I might as well return to Angelgard! There will be nothing for me here. I love you, my darling, and if there is no more you, and no more us, then there is no point to anything anymore! If you’re gone, I may as well bring about the darkness, because the best thing in the world will have already gone!” Ardyn wailed, still hugging Cor close and raggedly breathing in his familiar, comforting scent. 

Ardyn’s hope had all but died when suddenly, Cor shifted slightly in his arms. 

“Bit dramatic,” A voice croaked out, voice rusty with disuse. 

Ardyn’s eyes widened, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull away from Cor’s shoulder and look at his husband. He stilled, not quite believing that he had heard Cor’s voice for the first time in nearly a month. 

Ever so slowly, Ardyn made himself sit back up and lower Cor back into his bed. 

Ice blue eyes slowly met his own. They were tired, but they were open and alive and blinking at him blearily, and Ardyn broke down into tears again at the sight. 

“Cor!” He cried. His hands flew to Cor’s face, caressing his cheek gently as if to check it was real. “You’re, you’re…” 

Cor offered him a tired smile. “I’m here.” 

His hand slowly took hold of Ardyn’s own, and for a minute they sat, just holding hands while Ardyn cried tears of relief. 

“You arsehole!” Ardyn declared wetly, wiping his tears from his face. “You absolute arsehole!” 

He chuckled lightly, almost hysterically, then pressed a kiss to Cor’s knuckles.

“Sorry.” Cor rasped, still smiling softly as he took in the dishevelled state of his husband. “I was trying to come back.” 

“I’m just so glad you made it.” Ardyn told him earnestly. He had vowed that he would try and sincerely enunciate just exactly how much Cor meant to him again once his husband had woken up and could hear him, but now, looking down at those blue eyes, full of warmth that Cor rarely let people see, the words died in his throat. Instead, he pressed a soft kiss to Cor’s cheek. “I love you.” 

With that, Ardyn used the call button to get the doctors in here. 

“Love you too, Asshat.” 

Ardyn smiled, just revelling in hearing his nickname, and the sight of Cor, awake and smiling at him. For a few days, Ardyn had begun to believe it was a sight he’d never see again. 

“I stayed the whole time. I was talking to you.” Ardyn said into the silence that had fallen between them. He felt compelled to tell Cor that he had never been alone, even if he couldn’t find it in him to repeat the words he’d said. For some reason, it just didn’t feel as genuine to tell Cor how much he meant to him when he was awake. Now, in his head, it all just sounded cheesy, and more than likely his lavish speech would just make Cor roll his eyes. 

“I know.” Cor replied softly. He slowly pushed himself upright and wrapped Ardyn up in a tight hug. “I heard every word.” 

Ardyn’s heart warmed at the realisation, and he sagged with relief. He nuzzled into Cor’s neck, quite content to hold his husband close. 

When Cor was back home and well-rested, Ardyn would strive to show Cor just how true all those words had been. This man in his arms deserved the world laid at his feet, deserved to be showered with love, and kisses, and kind gestures and beautiful words, and Ardyn vowed to himself that he was going to dedicate every damn second they had together to making Cor happy. 

Cor melted into his husband’s embrace, beyond relieved that he was back here and Ardyn was with him. He let his eyes fall shut as he rested his head on Ardyn’s shoulder, and he didn’t mention the tears he could feel soaking the collar of the hospital gown. He reflected on the words he’d heard Ardyn say to him, when he was angry and upset at the idea that Cor might not be able to come back. It had scared Cor massively when he heard the doctors, for he’d never stopped fighting to wake up and come back, even though he’d felt hopelessly trapped in his own mind. Oh, how he’d tried to scream and shout at them, how he’d longed to be able to tell Ardyn that he loved him fiercely. But even knowing the depths of his own love, and how far he’d go for Ardyn, his husband’s words had moved him deeply. He had wanted to cry, he’d felt so loved, when Ardyn told him that he was his one and only. He smiled, tears welling in his own eyes as he smoothed his hands up and down Ardyn’s back to comfort him. This man had shown him so much love, and Cor was determined that for the rest of his life he would show Ardyn just how much he was loved in return. 

Neither of them moved to break their embrace, and eventually Ardyn’s relief eased, and the silence seemed less charged with unspoken emotions, and more comforting. There they basked in each other’s arms, warm in the weak sunlight from the window. 

“Ardyn, there was something I meant to tell you. About something you said to me.” Cor mumbled, eyes still closed, face pressed into Ardyn’s broad shoulder. 

“Hmmm?” Ardyn hummed, not moving away from Cor at all. His tears had long since dried, but he wasn’t ready to let go of him just yet. He wasn’t ready to let go of Cor, ever. 

“‘A Tale of Two Cities’ isn’t modern literature.” 

Ardyn jerked away from him, miffed that that was what Cor had to say to him. Of  _ all _ the things - Cor’s serious expression dissolved into laughter when he saw Ardyn’s peeved look, and after a moment Ardyn couldn’t help but smile and laugh with him. 

“Oh, my Marshal! I don’t know whether to be annoyed that that’s the only thing you have to comment on, or impressed that you recognised the book!” He chortled, pulling Cor back close to his chest. 

Cor snorted with laughter, then rested his head back on Ardyn’s shoulder with a pleased hum. “Oh, it’s not the only thing I have to comment on. But the rest will have to wait until I'm out of hospital.” 

Ardyn raised an eyebrow and grinned wickedly. “Oh, will it?” 

“Yeah, it will.” Cor answered breathlessly. “I love you, Ardyn, and I’ll always come back to you, you know that, right?” 

“I love you too, my Marshal, with all my heart, and I will always be waiting for you to return.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Book quote is taken from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.


End file.
